Wednesday, 14 August 2013

The fanfare and enthusiasm with which the people of
Darjeeling district celebrated Independence Day surprised visitors from other
parts of India. Will that legacy survive on the backdrop of current political problems?

school children participating on I-day celebrations

Nostalgic past

The Independence day in Kalimpong (Darjeeling district)
wasn’t just a national holiday but a festival that everyone awaited for.
As a school student growing up in one of the Anglo – Indian boarding schools in
Kalimpong, my friends and I eagerly looked forward to that day.

The preparation to celebrate the Independence Day
began almost a month before with the school band rehearsing the melodious tunes
celebrating valour, victory and patriotism. Alongside the band, the school
football team trained hard for the coveted Independence Day inter-school
championship – the finals were played on the 15th August.

On the eventful day, the boarders got a daylong
outing to the town with an extra pocket money! Soon after the special breakfast,
the principal would hoist the national flag and distribute sweets, and we then
were allowed to go the town centre to be a part of the celebrations.

In the town, thousands of people would pour into
the high street to witness the grand march -past by the students of the school,
their bands, police and the military. The town stadium, know as Mela gound,
would be packed with people to watch the national flag hoisting, the speech by
a local politician, cultural programmes and the much awaited football
final.

The atmosphere in the town was like a village fair:
local families would even buy new dresses to be worn on that. Hundreds of
street food stalls would spring up for a day selling tea and hot
meals. The weather often played a spoilsport with incessant drizzle but the
people got used to it. Everything about it was grand, majestic and people
felt proud to be an Indian.

Gurkha agitation

The memories of the Independence Day in the hills
during my school days came rolling back when a friend lamented about the
on-going political situation. He said the boycott of the Independence Day
by the local politicians is unfortunate, and he was deeply worried about his
family.

The Darjeeling district is on an indefinite strike;
the Nepali speaking population is demanding a new state- Gorkhaland (to be
carved out from the east Indian state of West Bengal).

The demand, which has been on since 1980s,
intensified after the recent creation of a new state: Telengana, in south of
India.

The strike has already crippled the local
economy. A local tour operator in Darjeeling told me that there have been
thousands of cancellations on bookings by tourists for the upcoming festival
season.

Darjeeling town deserted

Tourism, Victorian-era schools and the world famous
tea gardens should have made this tiny Himalayan district one of the richest in the country, but in the last 20 years, when India’s economic growth
soared , the people in the hills became poorer.

Thousands of girls are directly or indirectly have
fallen prey to the nuisance of human trafficking and are directly or indirectly
into prostitution in bigger Indian cities.

A broker in Delhi told me that the business is
highly profitable; the girls have no choice. Maya(name changed), who was trafficked to
Delhi three years back, tells me that it’s very difficult to get out of
prostitution business once you are in. “I earn over Rs 80,000($1200) a month
without any qualifications. I am able to take care of my mom. No other job can
pay me so much. I don’t care about the future.” says Maya.

The girls are in demand in bigger Indian cities
because of their oriental looks, fair skin colour and tender nature.

Many other young boys and girls have taken up jobs
in India’s booming retail sector. “They are fashionable, got looks, and speak
English, hence are perfect for the jobs”, says a Bangalore based corporate
professional.

Clearly from the rhetoric coming form the hills,
the issues of livelihood and systemic degradation of the society are hardy
being debated.

Mr Gurung, a school teacher and an author from Darjeeling tells me over phone: “the public sentiment is high but it does not
mean that they understand everything. It is more about misguided ethnic
pride. The initial enthusiasm by the youth whenever a strike is called is high
but how long can you sustain it?”

Many question how are the poor people going to
benefit even if the statehood is granted. “Those half –educated
politicians will become super -rich but my life will still be the same”
says Rohan a migrant from Darjeeling in Delhi. I am sure when the Gorkha
Territorial Authority was signed, they ( the politicians) received a lot of
money. What happened to that?”

United we stand, divided we fall

Dividing India on ethnic lines and for vested
political interests can be dangerous and can set a wrong precedence.

The people of Darjeeling need to consolidate their
economy and need a model of development that can bring prosperity by
optimizing the resources. The local people need to benefit from the tea and
tourism industry: a sincere policy to that effect by the government
should be a welcome step.

A long -run political agitation can be self-
defeating as it will destroy the economy. The entire region will slide back by at least 10
years. Recovering from that point, even if the statehood is granted, will be an
uphill task. The people of the hills including their political leaders needs to
exercise wisdom and take measures that will bring equitable economic and social
benefits to the people.

The Gurkhas have made tremendous sacrifice
for India. Their bravery is India’s pride; the welfare and the prosperity
of the hills should be a concern for all.

The people need to ensure that the din of freedom is heard once again from the Queen of the Hills on the Independence Day.